One of my favorite dishes to make during the football season is barbecued chicken. You will be amazed at how easy it is to make fantastic tasting chicken with minimal effort. No specialized dry or wet rubs are needed! I simply use a bottle of store-bought barbecue sauce and marinate dark meat pieces overnight in the sauce.
Then, I cook the chicken pieces (preferably of uniform size) on medium hot coals. You have to be careful to cook the chicken all the way through, but you don't want to overcook it and burn it either. You want a sticky caramelized glaze on the chicken. You can brush the leftover sauce on the chicken as it cooks on the grill, up to five minutes before the chicken is done.
Another incredibly easy "BBQ" idea is vegetable skewers. All you need to do is skewer cherry or grape tomatoes, zucchini or other types of squash, red onions, mushrooms, and colorful bell peppers and char them a little on the grill. Since the vegetables do not need to be cooked for very long (and frankly, they can be eaten raw), these skewers will be done in a few simple minutes and you don't even need to pre-soak the skewers because of the limited grill time.
Here, I just used bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions, and the skewers were still colorful and tasty.
Furthermore, for barbecues, try to prep as many dishes as you can before the big day. Coleslaw is one of those essential barbecue side dishes that actually tastes better the next day because the cabbage wilts, softens, and absorbs the flavorful mayonnaise deliciousness.
The last "easy BBQ" tip that I have learned (as a result of living in New Orleans), is that if you can cook two things at a time, do it! In New Orleans, you boil crab, crawfish, potatoes, and corn in the same tub! Here is a picture of corn and crab, which was boiled in the same large stockpot. What a great time saver!
Now get on out there and begin the tailgating and the barbecuing!
Oh my goodness! Was all that chicken really cooked off your grill! You're a mad BBQ chicken maestro! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, it was all cooked on the grill Chef Ben, thank you for your "maestro" compliment!
ReplyDeleteholy toledo - that chicken does look delicious and the veg-kebabs are so colorful, but it's that crab PE that's got me drooling... we're a couple months away from the start of the season over here!
ReplyDeleteThis makes me want to fire up the grill and get cooking. Yums!
ReplyDeletelooks real tasty, but please don't confuse grilling with barbeque... bbq is slow cooking/smoking meats at around 200 degrees for many, many hours
ReplyDeleteI can't wait until the season starts Foodhoe!
ReplyDeleteYes, the grill should be fired up Taste Tester!
Oops, thank you for your lesson, Anonymous!
I have a lot of recipes for meat dishes but what I am looking for is some great vegetarian dishes to cook on the BBQ for the veggies but will also appeal to the meatiest as well. Anyone got any ideas?
ReplyDeletebbq ideas
Wow, looking at these photos made me salivate! Vegetable skewers are delicious on a bbq and super healthy, I often cover onions in tinfoil and throw them right onto the coals, also sweet, soft and delicious.
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